PHILADELPHIA— Ballard Brands, a Covington, Louisiana-based restaurant and hospitality group whose brands include PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, WOW Café and New Orleans Roast Coffee & Tea, has expanded its restaurant holdings to include several Latin American concepts in Philadelphia. Brothers Paul, Steven and Scott Ballard of Ballard Brands recently purchased Philadelphia-based Garces Group — which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year — resulting in the inception of IdEATtion Hospitality. The brothers purchased Garces in partnership with Mississippi native Ronnie Artigues and Philadelphia investor David Maser. Garces restaurants and catering companies were founded by Chef Jose Garces, an Iron Chef and James Beard Award winner. IdEATion Hospitality now leverages the resources of two established brands, Garces and Ballard Brands. As part of the acquisition, the Ballards and their investment partners acquired several popular and award-winning Garces Philadelphia restaurants: Amada, Tinto, Village Whiskey, The Olde Bar, JG Domestic, Volvér and their full-service catering division, Garces Events. Chef Garces remains in a leadership position as chief culinary officer. Artigues will serve as CEO of the Philadelphia-based operations. “Chef Jose is a culinary expert who brings a renowned reputation and vision to our team and we’re thrilled for the new partnership,” …
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — Wedding dress retailer David’s Bridal has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Conshohocken-based company says it plans to keep its more than 300 David’s Bridal stores and online platform open and operating without disruption. According to Monday’s announcement, “orders will arrive on time and bridal appointments will not be impacted” as the company says it has sufficient liquidity to operate during the court-supervised restructuring process. David’s Bridal announced on Nov. 15 its restructuring support agreement (RSA) with the vast majority of its term loan lenders, senior noteholders and equity holders. The filing of Chapter 11 is the next step in the RSA, which David’s Bridal says will reduce the company’s debt by more than $400 million. “The plan will allow us to reduce our debt significantly while continuing to run our business as usual,” says Scott Key, CEO of David’s Bridal. “We will be able to move through the court process very quickly. And in the end, we will be able to allocate even more of our resources toward making strategic investments in digital technologies and talent that will drive long-term growth and operational excellence at David’s Bridal.” Real Estate Implications While David’s Bridal says it …
PITTSTON, PA. — HJ Sims has arranged $17.5 million in financing for United Methodist Homes. The funds will finance an expansion project at the organization’s Wesley Village continuing care retirement community in Pittston, located between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in Central Pennsylvania. The project will add an undisclosed number of independent living units to the property, through a series of cottages named Brooks Estates. Citizens Bank provided the funds.
PHILADELPHIA — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged $13.1 million in acquisition financing for a 452,375-square-foot industrial facility in Philadelphia. Located at 11200 Roosevelt Blvd., the property is fully leased to a mix of industrial users. John Alascio, Sridhar Vankayala and Zachary Kraft of Cushman & Wakefield’s Equity Debt & Structured Finance group secured financing for the borrower, Ivy Realty, through lender Reinsurance Group of America Inc. Ivy Realty plans to make $3 million in capital improvements to the property and rebrand it as the Roosevelt Industrial Center.
EXTON, PA. — The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust has sold a four-acre development site in Exton for $10.3 million. The site is located adjacent to the Exton Square Mall, which is approximately 33 miles northeast of Philadelphia. The property was acquired by Hanover Co., which plans to build a 300-unit apartment building on the site. PREIT recently revamped the Exton Square Mall with the addition of a Whole Foods location earlier this year.
PHILADELPHIA — Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors has negotiated the sale of two assisted living and memory care communities on the Philadelphia Main Line. A publicly traded REIT sold the properties to a growing seniors housing investor for an undisclosed price. The existing regional operator will remain in place. Ben Firestone and Michael Segal led the transaction for Blueprint.
PITTSTON, PA. — Square Mile Capital Management has provided a $54.4 million construction loan for Interstate Distribution Center, a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution facility in Pittston. The project is located at the convergence of Interstates 81 and 476. Amazon, Lowes, Walmart, and FedEx all occupy distribution facilities nearby. Square Mile Capital provided the loan to a joint venture between affiliates of Endurance Real Estate Group and Blue Vista Capital.
WARMINSTER, PA. — Binswanger has brokered the $1.7 million sale of a six-acre development site in Warminster. Located at 273 West County Line Road, the property is zoned as an industrial office district. Patagon Storage LLC acquired the property with plans to develop a self-storage facility. Chris Pennington and Jason Ostach of Binswanger represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
LANGHORNE, PA. — Viking Partners Fund III LLC has purchased the Bucks Town Corporate Center, a 142,000-square-foot, five-building office park in Langhorne. The price was undisclosed. Located at the intersection of Middletown Blvd. and Town Center Drive, the office park is adjacent to the Oxford Valley Mall. The seller was undisclosed. Colliers International has been assigned the leasing for Bucks Town Corporate Center.
AUDUBON, PENN. — NKF Capital Markets has brokered the $20 million sale of a 136,918-square-foot office building in Audubon. Located at 1001 Adams Ave., the property is currently fully occupied by Optum 360, a UnitedHealth Company. Amenities at the property include a full-service cafeteria, on-site fitness center with showers, outside patio dining and video conferencing facilities. Mike Margolis, Dave Dolan, Dave Garonzik and Jeff Mack of NKF Capital Markets represented the seller, Delaware Valley Real Estate Investment Fund, in the transaction. The buyer was Blue Stone Capital.